A widowed mother-of-five has been given the probation act after admitting using a false driving license to claim job-seeker’s allowance.
Letterkenny court.
Martina McDonagh, of 93 Meadowbank, Letterkenny, appeared before Letterkenny District Court yesterday.
The court heard McDonagh, 35, went to the Department of Social Protection offices in Letterkenny on August 5th last year.
She filled out forms and produced both her birth certificate and her driver’s license.
However a clerk at the office noticed the driving license was a forgery and she later admitted so when interviewed by detectives.
She told Gardai she had bought the license in Athlone because her real license had ben in a camper van which was now in Garda custody.
Her solicitor Mr Frank Dorrian said his client was perfectly entitled to make a claim for job seeker’s allowance.
“She was providing accurate information but the problem was the document was a forgery,” he said.
Judge Paul Kelly asked if Ms McDonagh had assisted Gardai in the issue of where she obtained the forged license but was told she had not.
He considered the case and then applied the probation act.